August 2026 Issue: Editors´picks

In this August episode of the Transplant International Podcast, deputy Editor-in-chief Nina Pilat is joined by editorial fellow Delphine Kervella to discuss three new Transplant International articles. First, a Eurotransplant-wide analysis by Kofler and colleagues showing that around 16% of recovered donor organs are never transplanted, and arguing for clearer legal and ethical pathways to use these organs for research – work that has already contributed to a change in Austrian transplantation legislation. Second, a 33-year US OPTN registry study by Paessler and colleagues showing that ABO-incompatible living-donor kidney transplantation in children achieves outcomes comparable to ABO-compatible transplantation, and can outperform waiting for an ABO-compatible deceased donor. Third, a review by Campo and colleagues on hypoimmune platforms, covering the first clinical experience with gene-edited islet cells and xenotransplantation, and the scientific, safety and regulatory challenges of engineering grafts to evade immune rejection.